The tourist, Kurt Walter Eberhart, 78, from Switzerland, was pronounced dead by doctors at the intensive care unit at Vachira Phuket Hospital at about 5:15pm on Monday, said Lt Col Chaleaw Taihu of the Phuket City Police.

“The doctors gave the cause of death as fatal drowning post cardiac arrest, and is noted on the death certificate,” Col Chaleaw said.

“We were told that people at the beach that morning noticed Mr Eberhart not moving, face down in the water. They pulled him ashore contacted Karon rescue at 9:16am,” he said.

Mr Eberhart was unresponsive and rescue workers were unable to find a pulse, so they performed CPR while rushing him to the Accident & Emergency Centre at the yet-to-open Chalong Hospital, from where he was transported to the Vachira hospital in Phuket Town he added.